(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a granular detergent composition which comprises substantially no phosphates.
(B) Description of the Prior Art
As detergents for domestic use for the purpose of removing stains from clothes, granular detergents are popular, and general users usually judge the detergency of these granular detergents by the degree of foaming at the time of cleansing. Therefore, in the case of detergents for domestic use, a rich foamability at the time of cleansing is required as an indispensable property, as well as superiority in detergency per se. Besides, a property of scarcely giving rise to foams when the concentration of detergent has become low, or at the time of rinsing, that is, the so-called suds-controlling property, is also indispensable to detergents for domestic use from the viewpoint of economy of water resources and labor-saving in washing.
Heretofore, detergents consisting essentially of a variety of surface active agents, sodium tripolyphosphate and suds-controlling agent (also known as `rinsing agent`, such as tallow soap) have predominated in the granular detergents for domestic use that have both of the foregoing properties. However, after detergents of such a composition have been used, and the waste water after washing containing same is flowed into rivers and lakes, various grave public nuisances occur. That is to say, the phosphorus component of the detergent is said to promote over-nutrition of rivers and lakes and enhance their bio-productivity abnormally, thereby accelerating the ageing of them. Besides, the surface active agents would accelerate the foaming along waterways, such as river, and dams, entailing the so-called public nuisance due to foam.